Colombian students' beliefs about language teaching and learning inventory (COBALTALI)development, validation and results

Abstract

ABSTRACT In response to the absence of validated research instruments and lack of research in the area of language learning beliefs (LLB thereafter) in Colombia, this study has three main aims: 1) to develop and validate an inventory which allows researchers to collect data to examine beliefs university students hold about English language teaching and learning, 2) to describe Colombian university students’ English language teaching and learning beliefs, and 3) to investigate the relationship between Colombian English language teaching and learning beliefs and four independent variables: gender, English level, socioeconomic stratum, and age. For the purpose of the study, first an instrument to examine university students' beliefs about English language teaching and learning is developed and validated, called Colombian Students’ Beliefs about Language Teaching and Learning Inventory (COBALTALI). This instrument is found to exhibit, based on qualitative and quantitative approaches, “pertinent” or suitable content and construct validity properties, as well as fitting moderate internal consistency and stability reliability scores. Second, a description of participants' beliefs about English language learning and teaching is performed, which reveals that they hold a variety of beliefs about English language teaching and learning with potential impact on the different processes involved in learning English. Third, an exploration of the relationship between English language teaching and learning beliefs and four independent variables - gender, English level, socioeconomic stratum, and age – is undertaken, which yields important findings that can contribute to the understanding of the extent these four independent variables exert influence on the English language learning beliefs held by the participants in the current study. Overall, these results constitute an important contribution to the understanding and investigation of beliefs about English language teaching and learning in Colombia because in this country there is a lack of both systematic studies on university learners’ beliefs about English language learning and teaching and validated instruments to investigate such beliefs.